Jimmy's weblog

Until the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) was introduced in 1988, university education was free in Australia. Now the idea of individuals contributing directly towards their eduction is generally accepted, and the debate has moved on to how high the fees should be.

In contrast, during the period of 2002-2003 Australian taxpayers spent over $100 million on elite athletes, with no requirement for repayment of any of the money. A significant amount of this went towards providing Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) scholarships which cover the costs of training facilities, coaching, medical treatment, accommodation as well as international and domestic travel.

Of the top 50 Australian sports earners in 2002, seventeen were former AIS athletes with a combined annual income of over $50 million in that year alone. Lleyton Hewitt headed the list with estimated gross earnings of $18.8 million while Michael Klim (swimming), Brett Emerton (soccer) and Hayden Foxe (soccer) brought up the tail with $1 million each.

I’m certainly proud that Australia pulls above its weight at the Olympics (and most sporting competitions not involving cold weather or soccer) but it we are happy to charge students for their education then surely we should do the same for sportsmen and women.

After all, an educated workforce directly strengthens our economy while the economic benefit of having highly trained sports talent is, at best, indirect.